The Last Witness [Paperback]

Joel Goldman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2003

Kansas City trial attorney Lou Mason is back...and this time, it's personal. Hired to defend the accused murderer of a local lawyer and political fixer, Jack Cullan, he finds himself working for none otherthan his friend and landlord, ex-cop Wilson "Blues" Bluestone Jr. With private files that rivalled those of J EdgarHoover, Cullan had the goods on any number of Kansas City hight-rollers, from Mayor Billy Sunshine on down. But the homicide detective on the case has itin for Blues, who faces the death penalty if he's convicted. Digging deeper, Mason unearths the kind of secrets someone will do anything to keep. And as he closes in on a desperate killer who's leaving a bloody trail through very high places, Mason may be setting himself up as the next target.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Joel Goldman has written another fast-paced legal thriller. The plotting is tight, the dialogue is realistic and the characters are compelling. Find a comfortable chair and plan to stay up late. --Sheldon Siegel, Author of The Special Circumstances and Criminal Intent

Fast, furious and thoroughly enjoyable, The Last Witness is classic, and classy, noir for our time, filled with great characters and sharp, stylish writing. We better see more Lou Mason in the future. --Jeffery Deaver,author of The Vanished Man and The Stone Monkey

The Last Witness is an old fashioned, 40s, tough guy detective story set in modern times and starring a lawyer named Lou Mason instead of a private eye named Sam Spade. Theres a lot of action, loads of suspects, and plenty of snappy dialogue. Its a fun read from beginning to end. --Phillip Margolin, author of The Associate and Wild Justice --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle; First edition (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786014482
• ISBN-13: 978-0786014484
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #634,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm in my fifth decade as a fourth generation Kansas Citian. I spent twenty-eight years as a trial lawyer and plan to spend at least as many as a writer. I started writing when one of my law partners complained about another and I suggested we write a murder mystery, kill the SOB off in the first chapter and spend the rest of the book figuring out who did it. So I did. Read the rest of the story on my website at www.joelgoldman.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Reasonably entertaining but highly forgettable, February 26, 2004

By 

Larry Gandle (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Last Witness (Paperback)

Kansas City trial attorney Lou Mason is asked to defend an old friend, ex-cop Wilson "Blues" Bluestone who is accused of murdering a local political bigwig, Jack Cullan. The police feel they have a slam dunk case and are no longer actively investigating it. Therefore, Mason must investigate it himself to set his friend free. Pursuing the truth, however, takes him into contact with some unsavory characters and Mason soon sees his own life in danger.
One of the problems any mystery writer who is writing a story about an amateur detective must overcome is the justification for their character's investigation. What must also be addressed is why should their investigation prove any more successful than the police investigation? Joel Goldman accomplishes this in two ways. First, the police feel they have the murderer and stop the investigation. However, more importantly, he makes the politics such that corruption is the true culprit behind Blue's arrest and the corrupt officials shut the investigation down. Joel Goldman is a trial lawyer. With his main character also a trial lawyer, I was expecting a good solid legal thriller. A strong courtroom scene can add impact and another layer to the story. Instead we have a reasonably well told amateur detective story of no real significant worth. The story appears padded and the competently created characters are a bit too numerous. (A character list at the beginning might have helped.) This is a reasonably entertaining but highly forgettable mystery novel and, in actuality, a disappointing Edgar nominee.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grisham Meets Connelly, July 21, 2011

By 

Lee Goldberg (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Witness (Lou Mason Thrillers) (Kindle Edition)

Joel Goldman's LAST WITNESS deftly avoids the sophomore slump with this blistering, Edgar-nominated thriller featuring Kansas City attorney Lou Mason that will make you forget there was ever another literary lawyer named Mason. Like Motion To Kill, this is a knock-out, defining a new genre: the legal crime thriller. Think Grisham meets Connelly and you've got Goldman.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sequel Time: The Last Witness, August 5, 2003

By 

Kevin Tipple (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Witness (Paperback)

It is very hard for an author to duplicate the power of the first novel. Sometimes the author can, and on rare occasion, exceed the first book. Joel Goldman certainly has managed to do so in this new sequel to his very enjoyable first book, Motion To Kill. As always, I recommend that any interested readers read the first book, which is mentioned occasionally in this sequel. Kansas City trial lawyer Lou Mason as well as most of the other characters are back in this novel. This time Lou Mason has to defend his friend, mentor and landlord, Wilson "Blues" Bluestone who has been accused of murdering Jack Cullan.

Jack Cullan was the mayor's lawyer as well as the political fixer for the powers that be as well as anyone else with enough need and money in Kansas City. Rumor had it that he had files on everyone in town and could have taught J. Edgar Hoover a thing or two in that area. When Cullan is found dead after a violent conformation with Blues in the bar Blues' owns, suspicion naturally falls on Blues.

But suspicion had lots of help and Blue and Lou realize a complex frame is underway. Not only does Lou have to fight Blues' case in court, he also has to stay alive on the wintry streets of Kansas City as various forces, for their own clashing reasons, seek to stop him one way or the other.

Once again, Joel Goldman weaves an interesting complex tale of intrigue, deceit and murder with the occasional dry humorous comment about the world and the legal profession. Unlike John Grisham, Joel Goldmoon, does not ever mount the soap box to lecture the reader on the evils of the legal profession and does not allow the occasional side comment to interfere with the flow of a good story. Tight writing, plenty of action and a very good twisting mystery puzzle make this another great book of his to read. With two done and two more featuring Lou Mason on the way, he soon should supplant Grisham at his own game and does it by writing a simply better book.